Poems

For a moment, award-winning writer William Heath thought he was going to be the next Bob Cousy, the Boston Celtic's "Houdini of the Hardwood. " Two novels and more than one hundred poems later, Heath, 65, has just finished his third novel. His life experiences - basketball included - now provide ample material for his work. "My ambition has been to be a man of letters," said Heath, from his home in Frederick, Md. "I like the idea of being able to write in various forms. " An essayist, novelist and poet, Heath will join two other writers Sunday during a poetry and music program at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, the last set of readings in "A Change of Pace: Poetry & Music," a series that began in October 2007.

Washington County Free Library is sponsoring its 10th annual Washington County Poetry Contest beginning this month. Poems may be submitted to the library anytime from Jan. 15 through March 31. There will be two winning entries and an honorable mention for each of five age divisions in the contest. The age divisions are as follows: Children in grades two and three, grades four and five, grades six to eight, grades nine to 12 and adult. To enter a poem in the contest, you must live in Washington County.

A Christmas concert at Hagerstown Community College on Sunday, Dec. 9, will mark the return of the college's eight-member chorus, brought back after a two-year hiatus. The HCC Chorus Christmas Show is set for 3 p.m. at Kepler Theater. It will be the chorus' first performance of the year, said choral director Eric Bowman, a music teacher at HCC. "It's something we've been wanting to do for a while," Bowman said. The chorus will perform several songs: six from "The Oxford Book of Carols" and another called "An African Noel," based on African rhythms in which voices will act as percussion, he said.

One is exposing his soul through poetry and the other is trying to get people to re-evaluate their souls through a fictional novel. Khary H. Tolliver of Hagerstown has had his second book of poems published, "More Poems from Khary's Poem Journal: My Thoughts, My Feelings. " Brian D. Sandell from Boonsboro has written a religious suspense thriller that delves into what makes people happy - personal relationships or material possessions. We live in a society that is largely materialistic and that's not making people happy, said Sandell, 21, a junior at Grove City College in Grove City, Pa., where he studies Christian ministries.

One hundred and sixty-six poems penned by Washington County residents were entered in the Ninth Annual Poetry Contest sponsored by the Washington County Free Library. Ten were awarded top prizes and six poems were given honorable mention by the judges, who struggled with selecting the winning entries among a very strong field of poems. Jeff Ridgeway, head of children's services at the library, has been coordinating the contest for the past nine years. "It is a joy to read the poems every year," Ridgeway said.

This weekend the Maryland Symphony Orchestra will present the final concert of "A Season to Celebrate," its 25th season. The party is going to be huge. The MSO really wanted to have a spectacular finish, said Music Director and Conductor Elizabeth Schulze. "And indeed it will be an incredible spectacle on stage," she said. The program will open with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. Then, The Maryland Theatre stage will be filled - overflowing - with 70 MSO musicians, 100 members of Baltimore Choral Arts Society, 45 singers from Frederick (Md.)

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - Shepherd University professor Ethan Fischer arrived at The Mecklenburg Inn - or the Meck, as he likes to call it - on time for a poetry rehearsal Monday evening. Wisps of salt-and-pepper gray peeked from the sides of his beige cap. A brown scarf draped from his neck. A brown corduroy blazer covered a blue sweater, which in turn covered his collared, cream shirt. His most recent book of poems, "Beached in the Hourglass" (The Bunny and The Crocodile Press, 2004)

Church schedules antiques show in Feb. INWOOD, W.Va. - Collectibles and antiques vendors are invited to participate in a show Saturday, Feb. 24, and Sunday, Feb. 25. All proceeds will go to St. Leo Catholic Church building fund. For information or an application, call Connie at 304-229-5885. Teen pageant slated The Miss Teen Western Maryland competition will take place Saturday, Feb. 17, at Hagerstown Community College's Kepler Theater. In order to be a contestant in the pagfeant, girls must be 13 to 17 years old and not yet be a high school senior.